Twin Tragedies Lead to Malaysian Crew Exodus
Two hundred cabin crew members working with the Malaysian Airlines have resigned following the tragic double plane crashes fearing for their safety, say media reports.
Malaysia Airlines System Employees Union (Maseu) secretary-general Abdul Malek Ariff said, "Some are now afraid to fly. There is nothing we can do about this. They have developed some kind of fear and we hope that over time, they will be back to normal," reports the MalaysiaInsider.com.
The exodus has led to a shortage of staff and the remaining employees are pulling 12-hour shifts, according to Ariff. The union represents about 8,000 of Malaysia Airlines' 19,500-strong workforce
The flag carrier has had one of the best safety records till it got hit by two crashes this year. Its flight MH370 disappeared on March 8 and MH17 was shot down by pro-Russian rebels over Ukraine on July 17.
"Following the MH17 incident, there was a spike in crew resignations but the number has now decreased to acceptable and routinely expected levels," the airlines said in a statement.
The two air tragedies killed 537 people including 27 crew members. The carrier said it was providing psychological support to its staff, reports Agence France Press.
The airlines has been under severe pressure for being unable to explain the disappearance of MH17 flight with no clues to its whereabouts.
The carrier is in the process of a takeover by the sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional . Khazanah is expected to restructure and overhaul the carrier. It has lost around $1.3 billion in revenues in the last three years, reports AFP.
